Folding shoe



Jan. 20, 1942.

E. A. WESTPHAL 2,270,721

FOLDING SHOE Filed Feb. 28, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTO R N EYJan. 20, 1-942. E. A. W ESTPHAL 2,270,721

FOLDING SHOE Filed eb. 28, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR Patented Jan.20, 1942 FOLDING SHOE Earl Arthur Westphal, Buffalo, N. Y., assignor toBagpak, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware ApplicationFebruary 28, 1941, Serial No. 381,196

Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in tape applyingapparatus and particularly seeks to provide a novel tape folding shoeadapted to be employed in connection with the tape handling and applyingmechanisms of those machines which form the closures of filled bagsformed from sheet material.

In machines of this nature, the open mouth of a filled bag is collapsedover the contents and secured in the collapsed position by closuresecuring elements or by lines of stitching. Where the contents of thebag are of such a nature that there is a tendency of such contentsltosift through the apertures caused by the closure elements or stitches,it has been found desirable to seal the closure thus formed by applyingan adhesively secured folded strip'of tape to the endof the closure insuch a manner that the folds of the tape extend over a portion of eachside wall of the bag a distance sufficient to cover the closure securingelements. Many machines of this type commonly employ an ungummed tapesupplied from a roll or reel mounted adjacent the tape applying stationof the machine, and the tape during passage from the supply reel to thefolding shoe is passed over adhesive supplying devices which adhesivelycoat one side of the tape. When the thus coated tape is passed through afolding shoe of the type heretofore employed, it frequently occurredthat those portions of the adhesively coated side of the tape which weredisposed in sliding contact with corresponding surface portions of thefolding shoe were at least partially stripped of the adhesive. As theresult of such contact, the adhesive which was thus disengaged from thetape tended to coagulate and ball up in the channels of the folding shoeand cause the tape tobind against the folding shoe to such an extentthat the binding force was frequently sufliciently great to causebreaking of the tape during normal feeding operations thereof into en:gagement with the bag closure. This naturally necessitated correspondingshut-downs of the machine in connection with which the folding shoe wasemployed in order to free the shoe from the adhesive obstructions andrethread the tape through the shoe before the closing and sealingoperations could be continued.

The above mentioned difiiculties encountered in connection with priortypes of folding shoes are overcome through the use of a folding shoeconstructed in accordance with this invention.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide for use inconnection with bag closing and sealing machines anovel type foldingshoe which will maintain itself substantially free from loose particlesof adhesive which may become disengaged from an adhesively coated tapepassing therethrough.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device of thecharacter stated which comprises an inverted, generally Ushaped channelwhose walls progressively converge upon one another from a substantiallyflat condition at its leading end to a closely converged condition atits trailing end, and in which the outer edges of the channel are turnedinwardly upon themselves to form guide flanges.

A further object of this invention is to pro vide a device of thecharacter stated in which the guide flanges formed by the inturned edge:

portions of the channel are each provided with a plurality of spacedslots extending inwardly from the edge of such inturned portion wherebyloose pieces of adhesive which may become disengaged from the tapeduring its passage through the folding shoe will be expelled through isuch slots and will not cause a binding of the tape against the adjacentportions of the folding shoe.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device of thecharacter stated which is simple in design, rugged in construction and'economical to manufacture.

With these and other objects in view, the nature of which will becomemore apparent, the invention will be more fully understood by referenceto the drawings, the accompanying de-. tailed description, and theapp-ended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of the tape applying mechanismof a bag closing and sealing machine and showing a tape folding shoeticularly the manner in which free adhesive is.

expelled from the slots.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the invention as illustrated isembodied in the tape applying mechanisms of a bag closing and sealingmachine and includes a main frame, generally indicated at A andsupporting elements generally indicated at B mounted thereon, carryingthe tape applying mechanisms. A tape 5 is withdrawn from a supply reel(not shown) and passed through engagement with suitable adhesiveapplying devices which may include an adhesive supply well 5, carried bythe supports B. A dip roller I is arranged to dip into the adhesivewithin the well 6, while a cooperating spring mounted pressure roller 8is adapted to press the tape 5 into contact with the upper surface ofthe dip roller and adhesive is transferred from the well to one face ofthe tape in the usual well known manner. From the adhesive applyingrollers, the tape isv carried over a suitable guide roller 9, rotatablymounted adjacent the supply well 6. The tape 5 is then conducted througha guide tube ID of suitable rectangular cross section and which issupported upon a bracket II adjustably mounted upon the supports B topermit rotation of the bracket relative to the frame to facilitateproper alinement of the guide tube and the tape. From the tube Ii], thetape is conducted around a freely rotatable guide roller I2, mountedupon supports generally indicated at I3, and is turned by this roller,with the adhesively coated side down, into a generally horizontalposition overlying the path of the bag mouths in connection with theclosing of which this apparatus is employed.

After the tape 5 has been directed into the generally horizontalposition as described, it is then carried into operative engagement witha tape folding shoe generally indicated at l4. The folding shoe I4comprises an inverted, generally U- shaped channel whose wallsprogressively converge upon one another from a substantially flatcondition at the leading endas shown in Fig. 4 to the closely convergedcondition at the trailing end as shown in Fig, 5. The outer edges of thefolding shoe I4 are preferably turned inwardly upon themselves to formguide flanges I5 within which the edges of the tape 5 are supported andguided. As indicated in Fig. 2, the tape 5 is conducted from the guideroller I2 into the leading end of the folding shoe I4 and at this point,is substantially flat in a transverse direction. The leading end of thetape former is provided with an upwardly flared lip portion IB whichfacilitates passage of the tape into the folding shoe. The folding shoeas a whole is removably supported in operative position by mechanismswhich form no part of the present invention, but

which include the roller supporting elements I3, a lug I'I pivotallyconnected with the supports B, and a supporting stud I8. It should bementioned, however, that the pivot element which supports the lugs I1 isremovable to permit the leading end of the supporting elements I3 to belowered and to then permit the folding shoe and its supporting membersto be removed bodily from the machine with which it is associated.

tape into contact with the opposite sides of a bag mouth associatedtherewith.

As the tape 5 is pulled through the folding shoe by the action of thefeed rollers I9, it frequently occurs that small portions of theadhesive which has been applied to the under side of the tape will comeinto sliding contact with the opposed surface portions of the inturnededges I5 of the folding shoe and be rubbed off or disengaged from thesurface of the tape as a result of such contact. Means must be providedto facilitate and effect the removal of any such loose adhesive materialin order to prevent binding of the tape relative to the correspondingportions of the folding shoe, and to prevent breaking of the tape as theresult of such binding. Therefore, the bottom longitudinal edge portionsof the channels I5 are each provided with a plurality of spaced slots 20which are preferably located along the leading half of th folding shoebut which may also be located along the trailing half of the foldingshoe should it become desirable. Thus, as the tape 5 is drawn into theleading portion of the folding shoe, the edge portions will be insliding contact with the corresponding portions of the inturned channelsI5 which is likely to cause disengagement of some of the adhesive fromthe tape. In Fig. 6 of the drawings,

there is illustrated the manner in which adhesive, which has been thusdisengaged from the tape, is carried by movement of the tape along thebottom of the inturned channels I5 and upon reaching the slot 20, willbe ejected or will drop from the folding shoe. It is obvious that whenloose adhesive is expelled from the folding shoe in this manner, itwould be quite difficult, if not impossible, for loose adhesive to buildup in the inturned channels I5 to such a degree that it will effectbinding of the tape against the correclosing and sealing machine whichis so constructed that clogging of the tape receiving channels thereofwill be eliminated as will breakage of tape passing therethrough andwhich is simple 1n design, rugged in construction, and economical tomanufacture.

It is, of course, to be understood that certain details of arrangementand proportions of parts may be variously modified without exceeding thescope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A folding shoe for use in conjunction with tape applying mechanismsand comprising a generally U-shaped channel provided with spaced uideflanges adapted to support the edge portions of an adhesive tape stripas said strip is being moved therealong, said guide flanges each beingslotted to permit the expulsion therefrom of any adhesive particles thatbecome disengaged from said strip whereby binding of the strip againstthe adjacent portions of said guide.

flanges will be prevented.

2. A folding shoe for use in conjunction with tape applying mechanismsand comprising a generally U-shaped channel provided with inturned guideflanges adapted to support the edge portions of an adhesive tapestrip'as said strip is moved therealong, the longitudinal edge portionsof said channel being slotted to permit the expulsion from said guideflanges of any adhesive particles that become disengaged from said stripwhereby binding of the strip against the adjacent portions of said guideflanges will be prevented.

3. A folding shoe for use in conjunction with tape applying mechanismsand comprising an inverted generally U-shaped channel whose wallsprogressively converge upon one another from a substantially flatcondition at one end to a closely converged condition at the other end,and inturned guide flanges formed along the outer edges of said channeland being adapted to support the edge portions of an adhesive tape stripas said strip is moved therealong, said guide flanges being slotted topermit the expulsion therefrom of any adhesive particles that becomedisengaged from said strip whereby binding of the strip against theadjacent portions of said guide flanges will be prevented.

4. A folding shoe for use in conjunction with tape applying mechanismsand comprising an inverted generally U-shaped channel whose wallsprogressively converge upon one another from a substantially flatcondition at one end to a closely converged condition at the other end,and inturned guide flanges formed along the outer edges of said channeland being adapted to support the edge portions of an adhesive tape stripas said strip is moved therealong, each of said guide flanges beingprovided with a plurality of slots to permit the expulsion of anyadhesive particles that become disengaged from said strip wherebybinding of the strip against the adjacent portions of said guide flangeswill be prevented.

5. A folding shoe for use in conjunction with tape applying mechanismsand comprising an inverted generally U-shaped channel whose wallsprogressively converge upon one another from a substantially flatcondition at one end to a closely converged condition at the other end,and inturned guide flanges formed along the outer edges of said channeland being adapted to support the edge portions of an adhesive tape stripas said strip is moved therealong, each of said guide flanges beingprovided with a plurality of slots extending across the full widththereof to permit the expulsion therefrom of any adhesive particles thatbecome disengaged from said strip whereby binding of the strip againstthe adjacent portions of said guide flanges will be prevented.

EARL ARTHUR WESTPHAL.

